In  Mexico  and  Cuba 

The  Mexico  and  Cuba  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  United  States 


Rev.  Henry  F.  Williams 


Published  by  (he 

PRESBYTERIAN  COMMITTEE  OF  PUBLICATION 

Richmond,  Virginia  Texarkana,  Ark.-Tex. 


MISSION 

PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH,  U. 

Engraved  by  Edwin  M. Gardner 
Nashville  Term 

Scale  of  Miles 
50  100  150 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba 


The  Near-Home  Missions 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
:  :  in  the  United  States  :  : 


By 

HENRY  F.  WILLIAMS. 


Published  by  the 

PRESBYTERIAN  COMMITTEE  OF  PUBLICATION, 
Richmond,  Va.  Texarkana,  Ark. -Tex. 


Group  of  Boys  in  the  “Old  Cypress  Tree,”  Graybill  Memorial  School 
Montemorelos,  Mexico. 


PART  I. 


Our  Mexico  Mission. 


General  Items. 

Since  the  door  of  trade  lias  been  open  to  the  United 
States,  citizens  of  this  country  have  invested $500,000,000 
in  railroads,  factories,  mining,  colonization,  ranches, 
farming,  etc.  It  is  stated  that  the  building  of  the 
Tehauntepec  Railway  by  the  Mexican  Government, 
with  the  connections  made  with  existing  lines,  opening 
the  way  for  commerce  between  Asia  and  Europe,  stim¬ 
ulated  the  United  States  to  plan  and  build  the  Panama 
Canal.  Dr.  Butler  says:  “All  these  facts  carry  signifi¬ 
cance  on  their  very  face.  The  doors  of  trade  to  the 
North  and  the  South,  to  the  East  and  the  West,  like  the 
gates  of  heaven,  are  open  to  all  people  of  the  earth.”  On 
the  open  door  of  religious  opportunity  in  Mexico  we 
further  quote  from  Dr.  Butler  :  “Like  the  door  of  trade, 
the  door  of  religious  opportunity  has  not  always  been 
open.  One  hundred  and  ten  years  before  the  intrepid 
Hudson  sailed  up  the  magnificent  river  which  bears  his 
name,  and  upon  which  is  located  what  has  come  to  be 
the  second  commercial  center  of  the  world,  even  a  full 
century  before  the  Plymouth  colonists  landed  on  the 
rugged  coasts  of  New  England,  the  Spaniards  in  quest 
of  gold  reached  the  eastern  shores  of  Mexico.  For  three 
hundred  years  they  ruled  the  people  they  had  roughly 
conquered.  Neither  in  Mexico  nor  elsewhere  in  their 
world  wide  conquests  have  they  ever  opened  a  door  to 
any  save  themselves.  The  only  open  door  they  believed 


4 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


in  was  for  drainage.  Therefore,  during  their  three 
centuries  of  oppressive  and  cruel  rule,  they  sent  out  of 
the  country  all  the  gold  and  silver  which  their  exacting 
hands  could  seize.” 

The  religious  condition  in  Mexico,  under  what  has 
been  called  “three  kinds  of  slavery  with  these  elements, 
were  firmly  established  in  New  Spain,  each  a  distinct 
system  of  tyranny,  to  wit :  the  king,  the  pope,  and 
foreign  commercial  control,”  is  described  as  follows: 

“Christianity  was  only  baptized  paganism.  Idolatry 
and  superstition  abounded  everywhere;  miracles  and 
apparitions  were  invented  by  the  bishops,  which  decep¬ 
tions,  in  a  generation  or  two,  were  consecrated  as 
authentic.  Some  of  these  were  regarded  as  more  sacred 
than  the  teachings  of  God’s  Holy  Word,  a  book  unknown 
to  the  people,  being  literally  chained  in  the  convents. 
The  clergy,  according  to  the  testimony  of  Romish 
authors,  visiting  this  country  as  special  envoys  from  the 
pope,  were,  with  rare  exceptions,  immoral  in  the  ex¬ 


street  View,  Orizaba,  Mexico. 


5 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 

treme.  The  masses  of  the  people  were  kept  in  abject 
poverty,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  clergy  which 
the}’  supported  received  enormous  stipends.” 

But  Mexico  was  not  to  remain  in  bondage.  The 
political  power  of  Spain  and  the  ecclesiastical  power  of 
Borne  combined  could  not  always  keep  the  country  en¬ 
thralled.  “The  people,  weary  of  these  burdens  ‘grievous 
to  be  borne,’  arose  in  the  majesty  of  that  independence 
and  personal  responsibility  which  is  the  inheritance  of 
every  man  born  into  the  world,  and  began  a  series  of 
struggles  which  resulted,  under  God,  in  the  emancipa¬ 
tion  of  the  country  from  Spain  and  threw  the  Church  on 
its  own  resources  and  entirely  separate  from  civil 
authority  and  jurisdiction.” 

It  was  only  after  eleven  years  of  struggle,  ending  in 
1821,  a  time  in  which  it  is  said  that  “rivers  of  blood  were 
shed  and  thousands  of  lives  were  sacrificed,”  that  Mexico 
threw  off  the  Spanish  yoke.  Following  this  independ¬ 
ence  from  Spanish  rule  there  were  over  forty  years  of 
internal  strife.  In  all  this  trouble  the  hand  of  the 
Church  of  Borne  could  be  clearly  seen,  for  the  independ¬ 
ence  from  Spain  gave  opportunity  to  increase  the  riches 
of  the  Church.  In  1857  a  Constitution  modeled 
after  that  of  the  United  States  was  “adopted  by  an  en¬ 
thusiastic  people,  grateful  to  be  free  from  both  Spain 
and  Borne.”  Under  this  constitution  all  church  prop¬ 
erty  was  confiscated.  Later,  reform  laws  were  adopted 
by  which  the  Jesuits,  Sisters  of  Charity,  and  other  sacred 
religious  orders  were  expelled  from  the  country.  The 
separation  of  Church  and  State  was  accomplished  and 
the  freedom  of  worship  and  the  public  press  was  secured, 
and  marriage  was  declared  to  be  a  civil  contract.  This 
condition  of  affairs  in  the  Church  and  State  is  spoken  of 
as  “the  open  door  of  religious  opportunity  in  Mexico.” 


6 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


Another  effort  was  made  to  enthrall  the  people,  in  which 
Rome  took  a  leading  part,  which  ended  in  the  complete 
overthrow,  including  the  tragic  death  of  Maximilian  and 
other  occurrences  well  known  in  history.  “Providence 
thus  emphasized  the  fact  that  the  door  of  religious 
opportunity  was  open,  and  open  wide.  Rome  having 
failed,  and  miserably  failed,  liere,  as  in  all  Latin  Amer¬ 
ica,  God  has  not  only  opened  the  door,  but  calls  loudly 
to  the  custodians  of  the  pure  gospel  do  enter  in’  and  do 
the  work  which  others  have  failed  to  do.  That  the 
door  is  wide  open  may  be  proved  by  many  facts.” 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  before  Protestant  mis¬ 
sionaries  entered  Mexico,  the  Mexicans  themselves  sent 
a  man  to  New  York  with  a  plea  that  a  Protestant  min¬ 
ister  should  be  sent  them  who  would  preach  to  them  a 
pure  gospel.  As  great  as  has  been  the  work  of  Protest¬ 
ant  missionaries  in  Mexico,  it  has  not  answered  the  call 
of  the  people  for  the  message  of  salvation  which  the 
Bible  reveals.  Men  and  women  have  labored  long  and 
under  great  privations,  with  persecutions  many,  and 
some  deaths,  but  the  great  masses  of  the  people  are  yet 
unevangelized.  We  know  of  no  stronger  appeal  than 
is  made  by  Rev.  Jno.  W.  Butler,  D.D.,  a  missionary  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Mexico.  Under  the 
title  of  “Importunate  Opportunities,”  he  says : 

“But  we  cannot  begin  to  meet  the  demands  upon  us 
either  for  educational,  medical,  publishing,  or  evangel¬ 
istic  work.  In  any  one  of  these  departments  we  could 
wisely  spend  today  every  dollar  of  the  limited  mission¬ 
ary  appropriation  to  this  entire  field.  In  other  words, 
if  the  liberality  of  our  friends  at  home  were  to  make 
it  possible  for  the  Missionary  Society  to  make  our 
appropriation  four  times  what  it  now  is,  we  could  then 
only  begin  to  enter,  in  some  worthy  manner,  the  doors 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


7 


Linares,  Mexico. 


wide  open  before  ns.  And  O,  how  much  these  millions 
need  such  help  as  the  blessed  Gospel  of  Jesus  offers, 
preached  to  them  by  earnest  lips  and  loving  hearts  and 
lived  among  them  by  men  and  women  who  know  its 
power  by  a  conscious  and  happy  experience.  Over  fifty 
years  ago  Daniel  Webster  said  to  a  circle  of  Washing¬ 
ton  friends  who  had  expressed  fear  that  national  dif¬ 
ficulties  might  grow  out  of  the  unsettled  northeastern 
and  northwestern  boundaries  of  the  United  States, 
“No,  gentlemen,  our  great  national  difficulty  lies  not 
in  that  direction ;  our  greatest  danger  is  that  we  have 
a  sister  republic  on  our  southern  border  almost  in 
mortal  agony,  and  no  one  among  us  seems  willing  to 
lend  her  a  helping  hand.” 

A  Mexican  official,  who  may  lie  excused  for  being 
somewhat  enthusiastic  about  his  country,  gives  the 
following  description  of  Mexico: 

“As  a  whole,  the  Mexican  climate,  if  not  of  the  most 
invigorating  nature,  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  de¬ 
lightful  in  the  world.  The  zone  of  temperate  lands — 


8 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


oceanic  slopes — enjoy  an  everlasting  spring,  being  ex¬ 
posed  neither  to  severe  winter  nor  to  intolerable  sum¬ 
mer  heats.  In  every  glen  flows  a  rippling  stream. 
Every  human  abode  is  embowered  in  leafy  vegetation, 
and  here  the  native  plants  intermingle  with  those  of 
Europe  and  Africa.  Each  traveler  in  his  turn  de¬ 
scribes  the  valley  in  which  he  has  remained  the  longest, 
as  the  loveliest  in  the  world.  Nowhere  else  do  the 
snowy  crests  or  smoking  volcanic  cones  rise  in  more 
imposing  grandeur  above  the  surrounding  sea  of  ver¬ 
dure,  all  carpeted  with  the  brightest  flowers.  In  these 
enchanting  scenes  there  is  still  room  for  millions  and 
millions  of  human  beings.” 

If  we  would  occupy  some  high  position  along  the 
Bio  Grande  and  get  a  bird's-eye  view  of  Mexico,  we 
should  see  a  country  about  one-fourth  the  size  of  the 
United  States.  The  population  of  the  country  is  given 
as  approximately  13,000,000. 

Dr.  Harlan  P.  Beach,  an  authority  on  mission  lands, 
states  that  about  nineteen  per  cent  of  the  people  are 
pure,  or  nearly  pure,  Spanish.  lie  describes  the  Span¬ 
iard  of  Mexico  as  being  “forceful  of  word  and  praise, 
energetic  in  his  movements,  immensely  vital,  tremen¬ 
dously  persistent  and  wonderfully  enduring.” 

The  Indian  race  constitute  the  second  class  of  the 
population,  estimated  at  about  thirty-eight  per  cent 
of  the  whole,  or  about  4,000,000.  A  little  less  than 
half  of  this  number  is  pure  blood.  They  do  not  mix 
freely  with  the  other  races,  and  are  almost  as  much 
in  slavery  as  were  their  ancestors  under  Spanish  rule. 
The  Indian  in  Mexico  is  a  poor  worker,  and  is,  as  a 
rule,  not  reliable,  though  tractable  if  well  treated. 
Those  not  employed  on  the  ranches  or  estates  usually 
live  in  communities  resembling  the  old  village  com- 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


9 


munities  of  Europe.  It  would  be  unjust  to  this  Indian 
population  not  to  mention  the  fact  that  a  number  of 
them  have  arisen  to  high  positions.  A  number  of  the 
prominent  men  of  modern  Mexico  have  been  pure 
blooded  Indians,  among  which  might  be  mentioned 
Jaurez,  the  statesman,  and  Morelos,  the  soldier. 

The  mixed  white  and  Indian  races — the  third  ele¬ 
ment — constitute  the  largest  race  of  the  people — about 
forty-three  per  cent. 


A  Mexican  Eating  House. 


Religious  Conditions. 

Theoretically,  perfect  freedom  of  worship  is  pos¬ 
sible  in  Mexico.  Religious  orders  are  not  permitted  to 
acquire  or  hold  real  estate.  The  Monastic  orders  are 
prohibited.  In  the  public  schools  no  religious  instruc¬ 
tion  or  ceremony  is  allowed,  ‘‘and  never  is  a  prayer 
offered  as  a  part  of  the  program  of  a  national  celebra- 


10 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


tion.”  A  great  proportion  of  the  Indian  race  are  idol¬ 
atrous;  while  at  one  time  they  were  largely  catholic, 
they  have  in  these  later  times  discarded  their  idols 
for  the  images  of  the  Catholic  saints.  In  describing 
religions  conditions  in  Mexico,  we  again  quote  Dr. 
Beach : 

‘‘Scattered  over  all  the  Mexican  States  are  multi¬ 
tudes  who  for  decades — or  for  centuries  through  their 
ancestors — have  been  reaping  the  benefits  of  Christian¬ 
ity.  Few  except  the  Indians  are  wholly  ignorant  of 
the  great  truths  of  our  religion ;  in  fact,  of  the  Mexi¬ 
cans  more  than  ninety-nine  per  cent  were  Romanists 
in  1859.  It  is  because  of  failure  to  emphasize  what 
Protestantism  regards  as  essentials  and  because  of 
gross  ignorance  concerning  commonplace  religious 
teachings,  as  well  as  in  view  of  the  divorce  between  re¬ 
ligion  and  morality,  that  American  and  English  Chris¬ 
tians  have  stationed  their  representatives  in  Latin 
American  lands.” 

Results  of  Missionary  Work. 

Since  the  entrance  of  Protestant  missionaries  into 
Mexico,  represented  by  denominational  and  interde¬ 
nominational  agencies,  there  have  been  most  gratify¬ 
ing  results,  which  have  been  summarized  in  the  follow¬ 
ing  paragraph : 

“An  interest  in  education  especially  of  women,  has 
been  awakened,  as  also  in  public  charity  and  sanita¬ 
tion.  Toleration  has  been  increased,  so  that  it  is  pos¬ 
sible,  as  was  not  formerly  the  case,  for  a  Protestant  to 
live  in  safety.  The  people  have  learned  that  Protest¬ 
antism  is  not  synonymous  with  obscenity  and  infidel¬ 
ity,  as  they  have  been  taught — and  still  are — by  the 
clergy.  Many  small  churches  have  been  established 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


11 


and  they  are  bound  to  grow  in  membership  and  influ¬ 
ence.  The  work  thus  far  has  been  greatly  blessed  of 
God  and  the  consecrated  workers  in  that  land  are  look¬ 
ing  toward  far  larger  fruitage  in  the  century  which  has 
just  begun.” 

Our  nearest  neighbor  republic  is  an  inviting  mis¬ 
sion  field.  It  is  significant  that  the  longest  border 
line  is  that  separating  the  Republic  of  the  United 
States  from  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  with  door  of  easiest 
entrance,  considered  from  many  standpoints,  is  from 
the  United  States.  The  relationship  particularly  in¬ 
teresting  to  our  Southern  Presbyterian  Church  is  that 
our  mission  is  as  conveniently  situated  in  its  relation 
to  the  home  field  as  it  could  be  in  any  section  of  our 
n  ei  ghb o  r i  n  g  rep ub  lie. 

Brownsville,  on  the  Texas  side  of  the  Rio  Grande, 
and  for  its  next-door  neighbor  Matamoros,  across  the 
river,  it  was  natural,  therefore,  that  in  the  beginning 
of  our  work  that  Matamoros  should  be  the  first  site  on 
Mexican  soil  to  be  selected. 

The  following  paragraph  from  “In  Four  Conti¬ 
nents,”  gives  the  story  of  the  organization  of  our 
churches  at  Matamoros : 

“During  the  Mexican  War,  two  American  officers 
entered  a  Mexican  hut,  thirty-five  miles  above  Mata¬ 
moros,  on  the  Rio  Grande,  and  gave  a  Bible  to  a  young 

married  woman.  After  a  few  weeks  tliev  returned, 

*/  / 

and,  not  seeing  the  Bible,  they  asked  her  what  had  be¬ 
come  of  it.  She  replied  that  the  bishop  had  passed 
that  way,  gathering  up  and  burning  all  the  Bibles  he 
could  hear  of,  and  hers  had  shared  that  fate.  They 
gave  her  another,  but  by  this  time  her  husband  and 
parents  opposed  her  reading  it.  She,  therefore,  hid  it 
under  the  root  of  an  old  tree,  and  read  it  clandes- 


12 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


finely.  It  resulted  in  her  conversion.  After  a  few 
years  her  husband  and  father  died,  and  she  moved 
down  to  Matamoros.  She  received  baptism  by  Rev. 
H.  Chamberlin,  at  Brownsville,  Texas.  She  was  the 
first  Mexican  to  greet  the  missionaries  when  thev  ar- 
rived  at  Matamoros.  She  had  a  son  nineteen  years 
old,  who  was  a  barroom  keeper,  but  was  just  out  of 
employment.  He  was  engaged  to  teach  Spanish.  He 
went  daily  to  teach  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Graybill.  After 
three  months  the  young  man  offered  to  invite  his 
friends  to  their  cottage  for  a  service.  He  induced 
about  a  dozen,  including  children,  to  come  one  Sunday. 
A  hymn  was  sung,  a  prayer  offered,  and  then  Mrs. 
Graybill  took  the  children  into  her  room  and  taught 
them,  while  Mr.  Graybill  distributed  Bibles  to  the 
adults  Avho  could  read,  and  explained  the  verses,  after 
which  the  children  returned  and  he  tried  to  preach. 
Thus  the  door  was  opened  by  the  Bible  given  thirty 
years  before,  and  that  door  has  never  been  closed  in 
these  thirty-three  years,  but  ever  opens  wider  on 
broader  fields  white  for  the  harvest.  That  barroom 
boy  is  now  Rev.  Leandro  Garza  Mora,  known  in  all 
our  churches  at  home  and  in  Mexico.  He  has  been  a 
great  instrument  under  God  in  our  work  in  Mexico, 
and  is  increasing  in  usefulness.  A  church  was  organ¬ 
ized  at  Matamoros  the  next  vear.” 

«/ 

Location  of  Stations. 

As  has  been  stated,  the  first  organized  church  was 
at  Matamoros,  situated  on  the  Rio  Grande.  Our  Mis¬ 
sion  Station  at  Matamoros  was  opened  in  January, 
1ST4.  A  railway  line  recently  opened  extends  from 
Matamoros  to  Monterey.  The  three  other  stations  of 
our  Mexican  Mission  are  located  along  this  line  of  rail- 


Industrial  Department,  Graybill  Memorial  School,  Montemorelos,  Mexico. 


14 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


way,  which  crosses  the  river  at  Laredo,  Texas,  and 
has  a  seaport  terminus  at  Tampico.  Taking  these  sta¬ 
tions  in  the  order  of  their  location  on  the  railway 
from  north  to  south,  we  first  have  Matamoros,  in  the 
State  of  Neuvo  Leon.  The  population  of  the  city  is 
about  5,000.  Proceeding  southward  along  the  main 
line  of  the  railway  an  easy  journey  we  arrive  at 
Linares.  On  account  of  its  central  position  and  re¬ 
sources  it  is  an  important  city.  This  station  was  oc¬ 
cupied  by  our  church  in  1887.  About  midway  between 
Montemorelos  and  Tampico,  a  distance  from  the  latter 
of  about  150  miles,  is  C.  Victoria,  the  capital  of  the 
State  of  Tamaulipas.  It  is  a  well-built,  populous  cen¬ 
ter,  located  on  the  Santanda  River,  at  the  foot  of 
Sierre  Madre  Mountains.  Our  mission  at  this  point 
was  opened  in  1880. 


STATIONS. 

Matamoros. 

In  January,  1874,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  A.  T.  Graybill  rented 
a  cottage  in  Matamoros  and  began  the  study  of  the 
language  in  preparation  for  the  beginning  of  our  Mexi¬ 
co  Mission.  Matamoros  is  in  the  State  of  Tamauli¬ 
pas,  situated  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Rio  Grande, 
opposite  Brownsville,  Texas.  The  estimated  popula¬ 
tion  of  the  Matamoros  field  is  100,000.  Our  work  at 
this  station  includes  an  organized  church  with  a  house 
of  worship.  The  number  of  communicants  in  the 
Matamoros  field  as  given  in  the  last  Annual  Report 
(1911)  is  238,  with  a  Sabbath  school  membership  of 
262.  The  native  contributions  during  the  year  cov¬ 
ered  by  the  report  amounted  to  $2,851.  The  Girls’ 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


15 


School  at  Matamoros  is  0111*  oldest  school  in  Mexico. 
Notwithstanding  the  inadequate  equipment,  a  great 
work  has  been  accomplished.  The  school  is  in  a  pros¬ 
perous  condition,  the  report  for  1911  showing  over  one 
hundred  in  the  day  school  and  fifteen  in  the  boarding 
department.  The  following  paragraph  is  from  the 
report  mentioned :  “The  most  encouraging  feature 
mentioned  is  the  steady  growth  in  the  desire  to  study 
The  Bible  and  to  help  in  the  church  work,  and  how  on 
Sunday  afternoons  the  large  family  joyfully  gathers 
together  for  the  catechism  and  hymns.” 

Brownsville,  Texas. 

in  the  fall  of  1871  it  was  decided  to  open  a  station 
at  Brownsville,  Texas,  immediately  across  the  Itio 
Grande  from  Matamoros.  About  three-fourths  of  the 
population  of  the  place  is  Mexican.  The  work  in 
Brownsville  receives  support  from  the  Executive  Com¬ 
mittee.  There  is  an  organized  church,  with  a  Sunday 
school  and  other  work. 

Montemorelos. 

Montemorelos,  in  the  State  of  Nuevo  Leon,  is  situated 
on  the  railway  running  from  Laredo,  Texas,  to  Tam¬ 
pico.  The  station  was  opened  in  1886.  The  Monte¬ 
morelos  field  has  a  church  membership  of  126,  with 
170  enrolled  in  the  Sabbath  schools.  The  native  con¬ 
tributions  during  the  year  1911  amounted  to  $1,158. 
The  Graybill  Memorial  School,  located  at  Monte¬ 
morelos,  is  an  educational  center  of  special  interest. 
The  industrial  feature  of  the  school  is  greatly  appre¬ 
ciated  by  the  Mexican  people.  The  great  hindrance 
to  the  work  is  the  inadequacy  in  the  way  of  buildings. 
The  Mission  has  repeatedly  appealed  for  funds  with 


16 


I isr  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


Industrial  Building,  Graybill  Memorial  School,  Montemorelos,  Mexico. 


which  to  erect  suitable  buildings,  with  proper  equip¬ 
ment.  The  number  of  students  that  would  attend  the 
school,  with  increased  facilities  asked  for,  would  be 
limited  only  by  the  number  who  could  be  accommo¬ 
dated.  One  of  our  missionaries  writes:  ‘‘We  are 
rejoicing  in  what  can  be  done  in  our  schools  when  they 
are  provided  with  adequate  equipment.”  The  popu¬ 
lation  of  the  Montemorelos  held  is  about  50,000.  It 
is  an  important  business  place  and  is  the  center  of 
orange  industry  in  Northern  Mexico. 


Linares. 

Linares,  situated  a  short  distance  south  of  Monterey, 
is  a  prosperous  and  important  city  on  account  of  its 
population,  resources  and  centra)  position.  The  sta¬ 
tion  was  opened  in  November,  1887.  The  church  mem¬ 
bership  of  Linares  and  field  is  140,  with  a  Sabbath 
school  enrollment  of  300.  There  are  two  clay  schools 
connected  with  the  work  of  the  church.  The  popula¬ 
tion  of  the  Linares  field  is  150,000. 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


17 


C.  Victoria. 

Proceeding  to  the  south  on  the  line  of  railway  our 
next  station  is  C.  Victoria,  the  capital  of  the  8tate  of 
Tamaulipas.  The  Mission  at  this  station  was  opened 
in  1880.  The  church  membership  in  the  field  of  this 
station  is  reported  as  423.  There  is  a  school  for  boys 
and  another  for  girls.  The  population  of  the  field  is 
200,000. 

Needs  of  the  Missions. 

The  following  extract  from  the  1911  report  of  the 
Mexico  Mission  states  the  needs  of  the  Mission: 

“With  the  experience  of  the  past,  and  an  encouraging 
increase  of  native  workers,  the  Mission  was  able  at  its 
annual  meeting  to  form  a  definite  plan  for  reinforce¬ 
ments  and  equipment.  Four  male  missionaries  were 
asked  for,  and  three  single  ladies.  If  the  men  are 
married,  the  whole  number  will  be  eleven,  thus  bring¬ 
ing  the  total  number  of  missionaries  up  to  twenty- 
three.  We  believe  that  if  this  number  of  missionaries 
should  be  maintained,  and  adequate  equipment  fur¬ 
nished,  with  a  great  volume  of  petitions  ascending  to 
the  throne  of  grace,  the  great  Head  of  the  church  will 
look  with  mercy  on  his  work  and  will  redeem  his  peo¬ 
ple  in  our  share  of  Mexico.” 


PART  II. 


Our  Cuba  Mission. 


Presbyterian  Church,  Cardenas,  Cuba. 


General  Condition. 

“It  is  the  most  beautiful  island  that  eyes  ever  beheld ; 
a  country  of  such  marvelous  beauty  that  it  surpasses  all 
others  in  charms  and  graces  as  the  day  doth  the  night  in 
luster.”  So  wrote  Columbus  in  his  early  letters  to  the 
Spanish  Court,  describing  the  island  of  Cuba,  which  he 
had  discovered.  An  English  missionary  gives  the  fol¬ 
lowing  beautiful  description  of  the  island : 

‘‘Its  beauty  lies  in  its  coast  scenery,  like  that,  for 
instance,  of  Barac-oa  and  Matanzas;  in  its  forests,  like 
those  of  the  Calderones;  in  its  lofty  mountains,  like 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


19 


Turquino,  and  its  charming  valleys,  such  as  Yuinuri ;  in 
its  tropical  foliage,  in  which  palms  of  almost  every 
variety  and  gorgeous  flowers  form  so  conspicuous  a 
feature;  in  its  azure  skies,  its  glorious  sunsets  and  its 
brilliant  nights.  The  choicest  tropical  flowers  flourish 
under  its  sunny  skies  without  care  or  expense.” 

When  Santiago  fell  in  1888,  Cuba,  the  largest  island 
of  the  West  Indies,  came  under  the  protection  of  the 
United  States.  This  protectorate  included  an  area  of 
45,872  square  miles — a  territory  about  the  size  of  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania.  If  we  were  to  sail  around  the 
island  we  would  travel  two  thousand  miles;  and  if,  in 
the  voyage,  we  undertook  to  follow  the  coast  line,  with 
its  numerous  bays  and  inlets,  we  would  travel  six  thou¬ 
sand  eight  hundred  miles.  The  schoolboy  is  taught  that 
the  shape  of  the  island  is  like  that  of  a  shark,  with  his 
head  to  the  east  and  his  tail  to  the  west.  The  total 
length  of  the  island  is  750  miles ;  there  are  over  a  half 
million  of  people  on  the  island. 


Morro  Castle,  Santiago,  Cuba. 


20 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


Cuba,  as  Mexico,  in  its  past  history  lias  suffered  from 
the  domination  of  Spain  and  the  oppression  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church.  Its  history  from  the  begin¬ 
ning  is  one  of  bloodshed  and  oppression.  Within  twenty- 
live  years  after  Columbus  set  foot  on  the  island  of  Cuba 
the  Carib  Indians,  described  as  a  noble  race  of  people, 
were  destroyed  and  driven  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 
Under  the  exactions  of  Spain,  millions  upon  millions, 
and  even  billions  of  dollars  in  gold,  have  been  drained 
from  the  island.  The  people  suffered  the  oppression  of 
a  corrupt  priesthood,  and  instead  of  being  lifted  by  the 
religion  that  prevailed  on  the  island,  they  were  degraded 
lower  and  lower,  until  their  worship  of  images  was  a 
real  idolatry,  with  a  consequent  decay  in  the  morals  of 
the  people.  The  general  political  and  moral  conditions 
of  the  country  have  been  immeasurably  improved  under 
the  administration  of  the  United  States,  and  the  repub¬ 
lican  form  of  government  which  has  been  set  up  and 
sustained. 

The  greatest  uplifting  power  in  Cuba  is  the  religion 
of  Christ  as  it  has  been  taken  to  the  island  by  mission¬ 
aries  of  evangelical  denominations.  Along  with  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel,  Christian  education  is  provided 
by  the  schools  established  at  a  number  of  centers.  Spe¬ 
cial  attention  is  given  to  the  training  of  the  child  life, 
for  the  hope  of  Cuba  is  in  the  Christian  education  of  the 
young'  people.  These  missionary  schools  have  been  in 
operation  long  enough  to  take  the  child  from  the  lower 
grades  of  the  courses  of  study  through  the  higher  courses 
and  to  prepare  students  for  college.  Some  of  these 
students  have  completed  the  academic  courses  in  the 
United  States,  graduated  with  honors  from  theological 
seminaries,  and  returned  to  the  island  as  preachers  of 
the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  to  their  own  people. 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


21 


Our  Field  in  Cuba. 

The  territory  assigned  to  our  Southern  Presbyterian 
Church  is  not  excelled  in  richness  of  soil  and  character 
of  the  population  by  any  other  portion  of  Cuba.  In  a 
study  of  the  map,  beginning  at  Cardenas,  almost  directly 
south  of  Key  West,  the  nearest  point  in  the  United 
States  to  Cuba,  a  line  might  be  drawn  about  half  way  to 
the  interior  of  the  island,  carried  southeast  and  around 
to  the  ocean  at  Caibarien.  Included  in  this  boundary 
we  have  the  following  principal  stations: 

Cardenas  is  a  maritime  city,  a  little  over  one  hun¬ 
dred  miles  east  of  Havana.  It  is  situated  on  the  coast 
of  the  bay,  and  has  railway  connection  with  all  parts  of 
the  island.  The  city  was  founded  in  1828.  Its  present 
population  is  about  25,000.  It  is  the  principal  point 
for  the  export  of  sugar  from  the  island.  Cardenas  has 
broad  streets  and  well-kept  plazas  and  many  beautiful 
residences,  numerous  hotels  and  cafes.  It  has  a  good 
hospital,  a  market  and  other  up-to-date  advantages. 
The  city  is  lighted  by  electricity,  and  has  a  fair  water 
supply. 

Caibarien,  situated  at  the  east  end  of  our  mission  ter¬ 
ritory  in  Cuba,  has  a  population  of  some  10,000  people. 
It  is  a  railroad  terminus  of  considerable  importance.  It 
is  a  good  business  town,  its  principal  products  and  ex¬ 
ports  being  sugar,  lumber  and  sponges.  The  streets 
are  wide,  and  a  number  of  new  buildings  have  been 
erected  during  recent  years. 

Rem ed i os  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  Cuba.  It  was 
founded  in  1511.  Its  location  was  originally  on  the 
seacoast,  but  on  account  of  the  pirates  who  infested  the 
seas  in  the  early  days  the  town  was  moved  inland,  and  is 
now  about  five  miles  from  Caibarien,  the  two  cities  being 


22 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


connected  by  a  splendid  road.  The  streets  are  old, 
narrow  and  crooked.  The  visitor  might  easily  imagine 
himself  in  some  city  of  the  old  world  in  olden  times  with 
some  of  the  improvements  of  modern  times.  The  prin¬ 
cipal  industries  of  the  country  surrounding  Remedios 
are  the  culture  of  tobacco  and  fruits. 

Placetas  is  a  town  that  has  the  reputation  of  being 
the  highest  in  elevation  and  coolest  in  temperature  on 
the  island  of  Cuba.  It  is  a  city  of  about  6,000  inhab¬ 
itants,  about  two  hours’  ride  by  railroad  from  Caibarien 
and  Remedios.  It  is  situated  in  a  fertile  section  of 
Santa  Clara  Province.  The  principal  products  are  cane 
and  tobacco. 

Cama.ti  ani  is  another  of  the  group  of  towns  in  the 
eastern  section  of  our  mission  territory.  It  is  a  modern 
city  of  over  6,000  population.  A  characteristic  of  the 
population  is  that  a  large  number  of  the  people  orig¬ 
inally  came  from  the  Canary  Island.  The  location  of 
the  town  is  favorable  to  evangelical  work.  In  addition 
to  the  railroad,  a  number  of  good  roads  furnish  easy 
access  to  different  parts  of  the  Province.  Within  a 
radius  which  could  be  easily  reached  by  missionaries 
and  native  workers,  the  three  stations  of  our  mission  in 
Cuba,  Caibarien.  Remedios,  and  Placetas,  there  is  a  pop¬ 
ulation  of  over  60,000  people. 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


23 


In  response  to  the  special  request  of  the  editor,  Rev. 
R.  L.  Wharton,  of  Caibarien,  has  written  the  following 
sketch  of  onr  Cuba  Mission : 


Early  Religious  Conditions. 

From  the  day  when  Columbus  landed  upon  the 
coasts  of  Cuba  and  took  possession  of  it  in  the  name  of 
the  Catholic  sovereigns,  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  of  Spain, 
until  the  third  of  July,  1898,  when  the  entire  Spanish 
fleet  went  down  beneath  the  booming  of  Admiral  Samp¬ 
son’s  cannons  at  the  entrance  of  Santiago  harbor,  the 
Gospel  in  Cuba  had  been  practically  unknown.  Priests 
of  the  Romish  hierarchy  abounded,  yet  immorality  of 
the  most  shameless  nature  reigned  in  the  very  bosom  of 
the  Church.  If  Christ  upon  his  triumphal  entry  into 
Jerusalem  must  needs  drive  out  the  money  changers  and 
those  who  had  made  of  his  Father's  house  a  den  of 
thieves,  none  the  less  was  the  scourge  of  his  righteous 
indignation  needed  in  this  fair  land.  Conditions  could 
scarcely  have  been  worse,  nor  religion  more  clearly  a 
matter  of  merchandise.  Marriage,  burial,  baptism  and 
mass  for  the  dead  were  the  wares  in  which  the  priests 
trafficked  in  the  name  of  religion,  enriching  their  own 
pockets  and  impoverishing  materially  and  spiritually 
the  people.  A  bone  pile  in  every  cemetery,  constantly 
increasing  in  size,  in  order  that  the  empty  graves  mighl 
be  re-rented  at  an  enormous  price;  eighty  per  cent  of 
the  colored  population  living  in  illegitimate  relations 
and  an  immense  number  of  the  whites  in  the  same  con¬ 
dition  because  of  the  almost  prohibitive  price  placed 
upon  the  marriage  ceremony,  demonstrate  the  absolute 
heartlessness  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  in  the  priest¬ 
hood. 


Infant  Class  in  Sunday  School,  Cardena  Cuba. 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


25 


Beginnings. 

Under  such  conditions  as  these,  immediately  upon 
the  close  of  the  war  of  independence,  the  different  evan¬ 
gelical  bodies  in  the  United  States  began  to  plan  for 
religious  work  on  the  island.  The  prowess  of  the 
American  soldier  had  brought  political  liberty,  yet  real 
freedom  could  only  come  through  the  entrance  of  that 
truth  which  should  break  the  fetters  of  Romanism  and 
sin.  One  of  the  first  to  take  action  was  our  own  South¬ 
ern  Presbyterian  Church.  At  that  time  Rev.  J.  J.  Hall, 
who  had  spent  more  than  twenty  years  on  the  mission 
field  in  Mexico,  was  acting  as  pastor  of  two  churches  in 
South  Carolina,  but  upon  the  invitation  of  the  Exec¬ 
utive  Committee  of  Foreign  Missions,  gave  up  the  work 
and  started  to  Cuba  on  a  tour  of  inspection.  Formerly 
some  work  had  been  done  by  our  Church  in  Santa 
Clara,  but  Mr.  Hall,  instead  of  returning  to  that  city, 
settled  in  Cardenas  and  began  work  May  7,  1899.  The 
selection  of  this  city  was  happy.  It  was  a  historic 
point,  as  here  the  first  American  blood  was  shed  in  the 
Spanish-American  War,  when  Ensign  Worth  Bagiev 
gave  his  life  to  the  cause  of  Cuban  liberty.  It  is  char¬ 
acteristic  of  the  Christian  spirit  that  the  first  Presbyte¬ 
rian  monument  of  love  should  have  been  erected  here 
where  this  North  Carolina  Presbyterian  lad  gave  his 
life  in  the  interest  of  Cuban  independence. 

Mr.  Hall  found  located  in  Cardenas  a  young  army 
surgeon,  whose  name  has  since  become  widely  known 
in  mission  circles,  Dr.  W.  H.  Forsythe,  who  at  once 
became  his  constant  companion  and  helper.  He  also 
found  an  earnest  Christian  American  woman,  the  wife 
of  a  worthy  Spaniard,  who,  with  her  family,  immediately 
became  the  nucleus  of  a  congregation  and  all  of  whom 
have  since  developed  into  staunch  Christian  workers. 


26 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


If  nothing  else  had  been  done  in  Cuba,  it  would  have 
been  well  worth  \yhile  to  spend  all  that  has  been  spent 
to  hnd  this  family  and  develop  the  father  into  an 
efficient  colporteur  of  the  Bible  Society,  one  son  into  a 
minister,  two  daughters  into  mission  teachers,  and  the 
remaining  four  children  into  useful  Christian  workers. 

From  May  until  November,  1809,  Mr.  Hall  worked 
alone,  when  he  was  joined  by  his  wife,  Miss  Janet  H. 
Houston,  and  Bev.  R.  L.  Wharton.  Mrs.  Hall  and  Miss 
Houston  were  already  veterans  in  Spanish  work,  and 
their  help  added  great  impetus  to  the  cause.  Thus 
they  labored  and  prayed  until  February,  1900 — a  mem¬ 
orable  day  for  the  Cuban  workers,  as  it  marked  the 
organization  of  the  first  Presbyterian  Church  on  the 
island.  The  most  careful  attention  had  been  given  to 
this  important  step.  From  the  large  number  of  candi¬ 
dates,  twenty-one  were  received  as  members  upon  that 
date  and  organized  into  a  church,  with  their  own 
elders  and  deacons,  and  the  work  took  on  a  new  phase. 

The  First  Schools. 

The  congregation  at  Cardenas  grew  rapidly  during 
that  first  year,  and  it  soon  became  evident  that  a  school 
was  necessary  to  care  for  our  own  boys  and  girls,  to 
save  them  from  the  constant  influence  of  Romish  insti¬ 
tutions,  as  well  as  to  reach  out  to  other  young  people 
who  might  be  influenced  by  our  work.  In  November, 
1900,  a  school  for  boys  was  opened,  and  in  February 
following  another  for  girls,  both  under  the  direction  of 
Rev.  R.  L.  Wharton,  ably  assisted  by  Misses  Edith 
Houston  and  Anita  Hall.  The  school  for  boys  opened 
with  an  attendance  of  fourteen,  but  by  the  close  of  the 
year  it  was  taxed  to  its  utmost  capacity  to  accommo¬ 
date  all  who  applied.  The  progress  of  the  girls’  school 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


27 


was  similar.  Both  institutions  continued  their  exist¬ 
ence  separately  for  two  years,  when  it  was  determined 
to  unite  them/  and  the  “Progresiva”  for  boys  and  girls 
continues  until  the  present  day,  doing  a  most  efficient 
work  for  the  cause  of  the  Master. 


Extension  of  the  Work  to  Other  Towns. 

Distant  some  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from 
Cardenas  was  found  a  group  of  four  important  towns 
almost  within  hailing  distance  of  one  another.  From 
the  first  Mr.  Hall  had  considered  this  a  favorable  sec¬ 
tion  for  a  new  station,  and  in  the  fall  of  1901  the 
Cardenas  school  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Rev.  J.  T. 
Hall,  and  Rev.  R.  L.  Wharton  was  sent  to  open  the  new 
field.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  more  beautiful 
section  of  country  in  the  world  than  that  now  occupied 
by  the  new  station. 

One  of  the  four  towns,  Placetas,  enjoys  the  distinc¬ 
tion  of  occupying  the  highest  point  above  sea  level  of 
any  town  in  Cuba.  It  is  a  broken  country,  and  the 
many  hills  crested  with  the  majestic  palm  and  the 
valleys  filled  with  a  waving  sea  of  cane,  give  it  a  pic¬ 
turesqueness  worthy  of  an  artist's  brush. 

Here  in  the  two  towns,  Caibarien  and  Remedios,  Mr. 
Wharton  worked  for  a  year  and  eight  months.  Reme¬ 
dios  was  founded  in  the  year  1511,  or  just  twenty-two 
years  after  the  discovery  of  the  New  World.  Old, 
largely  in  ruins  at  that  time,  its  streets  crooked  as  a 
cow-path,  many  were  the  times  the  new  missionary 
found  himself  lost  and  had  to  wander  around  until  some 
familiar  landmark  brought  him  into  touch  again  with 
his  sleeping  and  dining  quarters,  for  there  was  no  home 
in  those  days. 


28 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


The  earlier  efforts  of  our  missionaries  had  left  two 
converts  in  Eemedios,  one  a  white  man,  the  other  a 
very  white-hearted  negress.  These  two  earnest  Chris¬ 
tians  responded  immediately  to  the  new  call,  and  for 
months  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  the  missionary 
in  the  midst  of  opposition,  discouragement,  and  some¬ 
times  persecution. 


Water  Front  of  Caibarien,  Cuba. 


In  Caibarien,  to  which  one-half  of  the  missionary’s 
time  was  given,  the  gospel  was  an  entirely  new  sound. 
No  evangelical  sermon  had  ever  been  preached  there,  and 
no  helper  or  companion  was  to  be  found  within  its  bor¬ 
ders.  Yet,  in  this  modern  little  seaport  of  10,000  inhab¬ 
itants  the  preaching  of  God's  word  soon  began  to  make 
itself  felt.  Invitations  came  from  all  sections  of  the 
town  to  hold  services  in  private  homes,  and  the  lone 
worker  was  kept  busy  from  night  to  night  endeavoring 
to  respond  to  these  invitations.  A  private  teacher  with 
a  school  of  forty  boys  and  girls  was  found  who  offered 


Ix  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


29 


to  give  the  direction  of  the  school  to  the  missionary  in 
order  to  have  English  taught  in  the  school.  Soon  he 
and  his  entire  school  were  adopted  and  installed  in  the 
rented  chapel,  and  from  this  work  have  come  many  of 
our  best  members.  In  the  summer  of  1902  small  bands 
of  believers  were  organized  into  churches  in  each  of  the 
two  cities — Caibarien  and  Remedios. 

In  the  spring  of  1903  Rev.  J.  G.  Hall,  the  founder  of 
the  Cuba  Mission  and  its  greatest  worker,  was  compelled 
by  sickness  to  return  to  tbe  United  States  where,  after 
months  of  suffering,  he  entered  into  his  eternal  reward. 
1 1  is  memory  is  still  dear  alike  to  workers  and  people, 
and  he  yet  lives  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of  those  whom 
he  helped  and  developed  into  Christian  workers.  Due 
to  this  irreparable  loss  in  our  ranks,  it  was  necessary  to 
make  a  new  adjustment  of  the  little  force.  Rev.  R.  L. 
Wharton  was  sent  to  Cardenas,  Misses  Janet  and  Edith 
Houston  to  Caibarien,  and  Rev.  P.  JI.  Hensley  to  Reme¬ 
dios.  But  ill  health  soon  compelled  the  retirement  of 
Mr.  Hensley,  and  the  field  was  left  with  two  preachers 
and  three  single  ladies.  A  year  later  Mr.  R.  R.  Tim¬ 
mons  was  added  to  the  teaching  force  in  Cardenas,  and 
after  two  years  of  waiting  and  struggling,  Rev.  H.  F. 
Beaty  and  wife  came  to  our  help.  This  enabled  us  to 
extend  the  work  to  Placetas  and  Camajuani.  Mr.  Beaty 
was  located  in  Placetas,  together  with  Miss  Janet 
Houston,  though  the  latter  very  soon  had  to  withdraw 
on  account  of  impaired  health.  The  work  in  this  town 
soon  yielded  gracious  fruits.  A  leading  physician  of  the 
place,  a  man  of  unusual  intelligence  and  force  of  char¬ 
acter,  at  once  allied  himself  with  the  work,  declaring 
that  at  last  he  had  found  what  his  heart  had  been  yearn¬ 
ing  for  so  long.  The  principal  teacher  of  the  city  was 
soon  converted,  and,  placing  his  talents  and  consecra- 


30 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


tiou  at  the  service  of  the  Mission,  has  built  up  a  flour¬ 
ishing  Presbyterian  school.  It  is  here,  too,  that  the 
work  has  met  with  some  of  the  hardest  blows  at  the 
hands  of  the  Romish  authorities.  The  cemetery  of  the 
town  belonged  to  the  priest,  and  his  strongest  argument 
against  our  Church  was  the  refusal  of  burial  to  any 
Protestant.  While  Mr.  Beaty  did  not  wish  to  lose  any 
of  his  good  people  by  death,  yet  with  his  characteristic 
energy,  lie  immediately  set  to  work  to  provide  a  Protes¬ 
tant  cemetery.  In  a  country  like  Cuba,  where  there  is 
so  much  of  red  tape  and  expense  connected  with  an 
enterprise  of  this  kind,  it  was  a  difficult  undertaking. 
However,  after  a  year  of  patient  work,  Mr.  Beaty  saw 
his  efforts  crowned  with  success,  and  the  church  of 
Placetas  now  has  one  of  the  two  Protestant  cemeteries 
on  the  island  of  Cuba. 

In  the  fall  of  1910,  Rev.  F.  H.  Wardlaw  was  sent  to 
Caihanin  and  Rev.  J.  H.  Graver  to  Camajuani  as  resi¬ 
dent  pastors,  and  the  work  was  greatly  blessed.  But 
within  the  past  few  months,  both  these  excellent  workers 
and  Rev.  J.  T.  Hall  have  had  to  retire  from  the  field 
because  of  serious  sickness  in  their  families,  and  we  are 
again  reduced  to  first  experiences— two  missionary 
pastors  and  one  male  teacher. 

Workers. 

In  addition  to  the  workers  already  mentioned,  a 
great  deal  of  the  success  of  the  different  stations  has 
been  due  to  the  faithful  teachers,  who  have  done  noble 
work  among  the  young  people.  Rev.  J.  T.  Hall,  who 
took  charge  of  the  school  in  Cardenas  at  the  beginning 
of  the  second  year  of  its  history,  has  had  a  hand  in 
nearly  everything  done  by  our  church  in  Cuba.  His 
teaching,  preaching,  and  constant  itinerating  work  have 
left  influences  that  will  never  die. 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


31 


The  Cardenas  school  under  the  successive  direction 
of  Wharton,  Hall,  Timmons,  McChesney  and  Sims,  has 
gone  steadily  forward  in  effective  work.  Mr.  E.  R.  Sims 
is  still  at  the  helm,  and  perhaps  more  than  he  himself 
realizes,  is  drawing  the  larger  boys  to  the  Church  and 
to  Christ. 

Miss  M.  E.  Craig  for  nine  years  has  proven  her  abil¬ 
ity  and  consecration  as  a  leader  in  the  primary  work  of 
school  and  Sunday  school  in  Cardenas,  while  Misses 
Mary  Alexander  and  Eloise  Wardlaw,  in  Placetas  and 
Cardenas,  more  recent  arrivals  on  the  field,  are  already 
making  their  influence  felt  in  the  hearts  of  the  people. 
The  wives  of  all  the  missionaries  are  worthy  of  the 
highest  commendation  because  of  their  active  and  loving 
support. 

Visible  Results. 

The  real  results  of  all  this  work  will  only  be  known 
in  eternity.  The  repeated  loss  of  workers,  just  at  the 
moment  when  their  knowledge  of  the  language  was  such 
as  to  enable  them  to  become  reapers,  has  retarded  the 
harvest.  Yet  during  these  years  six  hundred  souls  have 
been  gathered  into  the  fold,  three  young  native  ministers 
placed  in  the  field  with  four  others  in  preparation,  six 
central  stations  established,  with  as  many  more  out- 
stations.  There  are  three  schools,  effectively  manned, 
having  a  combined  enrollment  of  three  hundred  boys 
and  girls.  The  word  of  God  is  preached  through  many 
thousands  of  tracts  distributed  by  our  young  people. 
The  Cuba  Mission  has  property  to  the  value  of  $25,000. 

These  results  should  be  far  more  than  doubled  within 
the  next  decade,  and  will  be  if  the  proper  equipment 
and  working  force  can  be  secured. 


32 


In  Mexico  and  Cuba. 


The  following  items  regarding  the  present  condition 
of  the  work  in  our  Cuba  Mission  are  taken  from  the 
last  annual  report  (1011). 

“The  year  opened  with  bright  prospects  for  a  vigorous 
campaign,  and  with  every  probability  of  a  blessed  year’s 
work.  Five  preachers  were  fully  prepared  with  the  lan¬ 
guage,  and  each  in  charge  of  his  own  station.  This  we 
felt  was  as  many  missionary  pastors  as  we  ought  to  ask 
for  to  do  the  work  allotted  to  our  church,  and  each  of 
the  men  settled  down  to  do  vigorously  the  task  entrusted 
to  him.  But  this  was  not  God’s  plan,  and  ere  the  year 
ended  Ave  had  seen  three  of  our  missionaries  leaA7e  the 
field  because  of  serious  sickness  in  their  families.  Sixty 
per  cent  of  our  preaching  force  gone,  and  no  moving  in 
the  homeland  to  replace  them  has  left  the  two  remaining 
pastors  about  as  near  their  ‘wits’  end’  as  men  can  get. 
Yet  we  have  not  despaired  nor  been  idle.  We  rejoice 
that  those  who  haATe  had  to  return  home  are  all  imply¬ 
ing  in  health,  and  Ave  believe  they  will  be  allowed  to 
return,  or  that  others  Avill  A’olunteer  in  their  places. 

“With  respect  to  our  native  force,  we  have  had  much 
to  encourage.  Three  candidates  have  been  admitted  to 
the  ministry,  and  are  doing  effective  Avork.  One  of  these 
is  a  bright,  consecrated  young  man  who  gave  up  a  busi¬ 
ness  which  paid  him  more  than  four  times  as  much  as 
the  mission  could  offer  him,  yet  he  gladly  closed  up  his 
business  and  took  charge  of  the  church  Avhere  for  a  num¬ 
ber  of  years  he  had  been  a  most  efficient  elder. 

“Due  to  the  removal  of  so  many  pastors,  the  efforts 
of  those  who  remained  have  necessarily  been  directed  to 
conserving  Avhat  we  have  rather  than  reaching  out  to 
neAv  fields.  Yet,  in  spite  of  this,  the  number  of  members 
admitted  to  the  communion  falls  not  far  short  of  last 
year,  and  collections  have  surpassed  those  of  any  other 
Arear  of  our  historv” 


CHOICE  BOOKS 

For  Missionary  Libraries 


Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Missions — T.  C.  Johnson,  D.D . 10.60 

Evangelical  Invasion  of  Brazil — S.  R.  Gammon,  D.D  . - . . . .  .75 

“In  Four  Continents,”  F.  M.  Text  Book  for  1912—  H.  F.  Williams— paper,  35c.; 

cloth _ _ _ _ _ _ _  .50 

The  Light  of  the  World — F.  M.,  Text  Book  for  1912 — Speer — paper,  35c.;  cloth . 50 

Decisive  Hour  of  Missions — F.  M.  Text  Book  for  1912 — Mott — paper,  35c.;  cloth  ._  .50 

Conservation  of  National  Ideals — II.  M.  Text  Book  for  1912 — paper,  35c.;  cloth . 50 

The  Call  of  the  Home  Land —  H.  M.  Text  Book  for  1912 — paper,  35c.;  cloth . 50 

At  Our  Own  Door— H.  M.  Text  Book  for  1912 — paper,  35c.;  cloth . 50 

Western  Women  in  Eastern  Lands — paper,  35c.;  cloth  . . 50 

Men  and  Missions — W.  T.  Ellis . . . . 75 

The  Foreign  Missionary— A.  J.  Brown,  D.D.;  limp  cloth . . . 75 

The  Healing  of  the  Nations— paper. . . . . . 40 

Lights  and  Shadows  in  the  Far  East— S.  H.  Chester,  D.D . . . .  .60 

Missionary  Heroines  in  Eastern  Lands— cloth . . . . 65 

Lady  Missionaries  in  Foreign  Lands — cloth _ _ _ _ _ _ _  .65 

Life  of  Henry  Martyn — cloth . . . . . . .  .65 

Life  of  Dr.  Grenfell — cloth . . . . . . . . 65 

Life  of  Robert  Morrison — cloth . . . . . . . . . 65 

Life  of  David  Livingston — cloth . . . . . . 65 

Life  of  William  Carey — cloth _ _ _  .65 

The  Unfinished  Task — Dr.  Barton . . . . . . . .  .50 

.Report  of  Edinburgh  Missionary  Conference — 1  Vol .  1.00 

Unoccupied  Fields — Dr.  Zwemer . . . . . . . . -  .50 

Growth  of  the  Missionary  Concept — Dr.  Goucher . . 75 

The  Challenge  of  the  City — Josiah  Strong — paper,  35c.;  cloth . . 50 

Christianity’s  Storm  Center — Chas.  Stelzle — paper,  35c.;  cloth . 50 

Citizens  of  To-Morrow — Guernsey — cloth . . . 50 

The  Frontier — Platt — paper,  35c.;  cloth . . . . 50 

The  Working  Man  and  Social  Problems — Stelzle — cloth... . 75 

The  Galax  Gatherers— Edw.  O.  Guerrant — cloth . .  1.00 

FOR  YOUNG  READERS: 

Best  Things  in  America — paper.. . . . 25 

The  Finding-Out  Club— paper . . . •. . . . . . 25 

Coming  Americans— paper . . . . . . . 25 

The  Call  of  the  Waters — paper _ _ _ _ 35 

Home  Mission  Handicraft — paper _ _ _  .50 

Child  Life  Series — Mexicans,  Indians,  etc. — each . . . 10 

The  Happiest  Girl  in  Korea — cloth . . . . . 60 

Topsy-Turvy  Land — cloth . . .  .75 

Winners  of  the  World  for  Twenty  Centuries — cloth.. . . . .  .60 

Uganda’s  White  Man  of  Work — cloth . .  .50 

Foreign  Mission  Stories — by  Grandma  Bright . 15 

Home  Mission  Stories — by  Grandma  Bright . . . 15 


ADDRESS  ALL  ORDERS  TO 

Presbyterian  Committee  of  Publication 

RICHMOND.  VA.  TEXARKANA,  ARK. -TEXAS 


